Familly Matters
by iamthomasrainey
Summary: Edwin has left his mother when he was 9 years old to find out the truth. He's now 20 years, face to face with Jack Sparrow, in a conversation which subject is "family matters". [Sparrabeth] Post DMTNT.
1. Family Matters

_**I'm not the owner of PotC, though I wanted to.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy it!**_

* * *

Three potatoes floated above the soup in his plate, as savorless as his own life had been in the last months. The spoon played between them, sometimes piling them up, sometimes separating them. He took a sip from the now tepid soup, watching the remnants of smoke that would still touch his face, making it a bit warm. He felt his eyes weighing like they were rocks inside his head and the hit coming from the soup would make him feel even more fatigated. This was, as far as he could tell, the twelfth tavern where he had gone in the last ten months. Swallowed the rum from his mug as if it was a life's potion and the alcohol just fit him like a glove. He let the mug's pottery beats against the table, its sound muffled between the screams, whispers and moans that were coming from the clientele's incessant mouths.

He was sitting on a dark corner, hided from the others by the shadows. Cutting up a piece from the tavern's hardened bread and just ahead, putting it inside the soup, he took a big bite from it. In fact, even that movement could make him feel tired. Everything around him was putting him on a _dead zone_ of which he couldn't leave for days. Not even the women's fingers passing sporadically and rubbing against him were effective.

Edwin was feeling defeated and the bitterness of this defeat finally came out. He dropped the spoon on his plate and looked for his bottle of rum. _Empty_. His memory would deceive him as he tried to remember. _How is it already empty?_ He didn't even feel the sweet taste of the liquor in his mouth so that the bottle could prove to be empty.

He pulled three shillings out of his pocket so that he could get a room where he could throw his morbid body over some blankets and faint for a night, until sunbeams penetrated his orbits as well as the screams of Guendoline, the tavern's owner, crying out for him to leave. There were more customers, after all, and Edwin was not exclusive, nor did he own a large fortune so he could pay for more than one day.

His body moved slowly as he left the table, leg by leg. He looked around the tavern, his breath heavy with sleep. At dawn, he would have to find some ship where he could infiltrate or just work as a sailor for a miserable hammock below the deck. Reflecting on it made his bones quiver. Eleven years ago, he had been disguising himself and entering places where he was not invited. In eleven years he had not been able to form even an alliance with some pirates. By some chance, luck had never been a very significant factor in his life. Thrown into the arms of mischance, he seized it with both hands and dealt with the misfortune that life had hitherto reserved for him. What he had left was to deal with the facts, day after day. It was the best he could do at the moment.

Immersed in melancholy, he finally turned away from the table. His legs lifted and the rum he had taken seemed to suddenly take over his mind. He staggered for a few seconds, regaining his balance, and finally stopped, his black orbits snapping as he felt his pupils dilate to what his eyes, in a final analysis of the hall, stood on a table full of pirates. What struck him, however, were not drunken sailors and a game of dice. The click in his brain was due to a man in question, sitting with his legs stretched out on a long bench leaning against a pillar, his hat down enough to cover his eyes. Were it not for his remarkable and categorical characteristics, he would have gone unnoticed, honestly.

Smiling and not believing what he saw, he made strides to the table where the pirates were and what was probably their captain. He pushed one of the men seated in front of the figure and took the place at the table. He heard shouts of discontent and a knife pointed at his throat. Without sketching any expressions, he parted his lips and said, intoning the most serious voice he could:

" _Jack Sparrow"_.

Jack lifted his hat over his eyes and stared at the boy in front of him. He narrowed his eyes, not knowing who it was.

" _Captain_ Jack Sparrow", he let go, clearing his throat. "Your wishes, boy?"

"I thought you were dead".

"Dead?", he mocked. "I'm Ja…"

"I know", Edwin sighed. "You're the _legendary Captain Jack Sparrow_. Now…", he paused. "Bluntly: are you accepting crewmembers on your ship?"

"What do you have to offer?"

"What is there to be done?"

"Unfortunately, all the posts inside the Black Pearl are occupied. If you want to get on my ship, you should at least give me something in return".

"It is just a ship. And the more men you have got, the better".

"You see ...", Jack drew his legs off the bench and sat straight in front of the boy, his hands on the table as he played with the rings on his fingers. "There is not even a good reason for me to accept you, boy. First you lack me with all due respect. Your arrogance and petulance are not pleasant, savvy?" He dug the rum into a mug and made a guttural sound of disapproval. "Secondly: the posts are complete. No need to overload my ship with dead-weight".

"I can convince you to accept me with a little conversation, if you will allow me, of course." He waited for Jack to give him the endorsement and continued. "I've been looking for the notorious Jack Sparrow for eleven years. It is not a very favorable condition, you see. Although I have my own reasons, reasons which I can explain even in topics, proving thus necessary", He watched the glint of curiosity sparkle in Jack's eyes. _I caught your attention, sailor?_ "When I was nine, I discovered that my mother had been lying to me since birth. She invented fairy tales so I would believe that a certain man was my father", he sighed. "We argued, and that night I prepared a bundle of my most used utensils and clothes and left at dawn. I have not seen her since then".

"And when do I become part of the story?"

"I discovered that night that my mother used to have an affair with a pirate. Apparently, this is considered an absurdly normal fact. I would not disagree". He poured himself the rum bottle, sipping and enjoying the remarkable quality difference of that drink from the crap he had taken earlier. "The point is… well, the famous pirate my mother used to talk about so much was called _Jack Sparrow_. Of course, it's not as if she had simply told me this by her own and voluntary will".

" _Boy_ ", Jack started, smiley. "You're not the first and will not be the last caller of the bastard's title on account of my libertine past". He stood up, turning his back on him. "I hope you get a ship where you can serve, sailor."

"I have not finished my story!", he caught his attention.

"I do not need to know".

Edwin laughed derisively and snorted at Jack Sparrow. He hoped he would not have to get so straight to the heart of the conversation. Not so fast.

"My mother is the Pirate King", he finally said, so loud and so clear that half of the tavern was suddenly silent, watching the scene. "Elizabeth Swann. You remember her, don't you? I hope so".

 _Lizzie_. That name, shouted without the slightest momentum, made Sparrow's entire body shudder. Without even noticing his own rapidity, he immediately stood before the boy, holding him by the lapel of his coat. The sailors raised their swords, encircling Edwin.

" _What is your name_?" He whispered.

" _Edwin Swann_. Elizabeth Swann is my mother. And you, my father. When I discovered this, I had no doubts: I had to know you. The problem is that my mother believed you... were dead. So the reason I actually faced my painful journey of eleven years was... to prove her otherwise. But for a long time I also believed you were dead. Of course, till the incidents a few months ago... until lustrous black sails were seen again by the ocean".

" _Prove it_ ", Jack let it out almost inaudibly.

Edwin lifted his chin, his head hanging slightly to the left. There was a sign on his skin that was identical to Jack's. But clearly that would not be enough.

"If you let me go... I can offer you more evidence".

Releasing himself from Sparrow's hands, Edwin straightened his coat and slipped his hand into his inner pocket. He pulled out what appeared to be a small book. The leather cover was protected by a sisal rope delicately tied at its ends.

"It's my mother's diary. I stole it before I ran away. I figured this discussion would end this way if it ever happened. You would need proof, wouldn't you? You cannot believe anyone's word".

"I do not understand", Jack whispered to himself, picking up the diary in his hands. "I met Elizabeth' son, Henry. _Turner_ ".

"Oh. So, she's still lying?" Edwin laughed wryly. "Henry is my younger brother, even though we're the same age. But he's far from being a Turner. You see, one day on land. Ten years at sea. We've all heard this story, huh? The point is... Henry and I are the same age because... we're twins. Which means..."

"He is my son?" Jack took a small step back, startled.

"If you do not believe me, just read the diary. You will surely identify my mother's handwriting. If you still remember".

Jack looked at him in amazement.

"Though I do not think it's a good idea to discuss family matters in such environment. It's kind of hostile. Your sailors pointing swords and daggers at me as if I were a mortal threat to you. Or is this just your loving way of saying hello to a son?"

Jack nodded to the sailor to let the weapons down.

"I'm not used to paternity standards".

"So you believe me?"

"That's not what I said", he kept the diary with him and pointed the way to Edwin. "Come on".

Fast and steady steps finally led them to the Black Pearl.

* * *

 ** _Hello, folks!_**

 ** _I'm Thomas, the author of the newest Sparrabeth adventure on this website (is it the newest? I dunno, but... I think it's one of the newest xP)._**

 ** _I'm sorry for not updating it faster, college and work are taking me some of my time. But don't give up on me: I'll post a new chapter very soon!_**

 ** _Anyone with questions, send in private message or as a review and I'll answer you :)_**

 ** _You, readers, may be wondering about how could Edwin and Henry be twin brothers, how did Jack and Elizabeth's relationship happened in the past. I'd be too, but I'll explain everything soon enough. Like you - I guess -, I don't like gaps in the plot, so I'm developing everything for ya! :)_**

 ** _Oh: Viollet, thanks for the review!_**


	2. Lizzie

**I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean.**

* * *

 **II**

 _The labor lasted about three hours. The midwife said that I am a strong woman and my screams had surely awakened the newly formed storm at sea. They were born healthy, Jack. One of them has the same mark as you, below the jaw. By the way, he's the one who gives me the hardest work. It seems he cannot distance himself from me, the constant crying until I take him in the lap and make him go back to the depths of his sleep._

 _His name is Edwin._

 _He came first to this world, followed by his brother about one hour later. Henry is calmer than Ed; that's what I can perceive within the last two weeks since they were born._

 _Incredible, is it not? Four years has passed since we met each other and I would never imagine myself in a situation like this. I've got two sons._ We _'ve got two sons, Jack. I wonder what my father would think, how would he react if he was alive and knew that we conceived two children. That his grandsons are the heirs of pirates. Oh, it would be so fun to see him now, a stupid expression upon his face. And it would not be only for his grandsons, nevertheless for his daughter, that became the Pirate King. Would father understand? Would he understand my most sincere desires?_

 _He would obviously not approve the life we take, but I believe he would at least understand. After all, he was my father and he loved me. I remember him telling me, sometimes happy, sometimes in a state of deep thoughts, that I, in fact, couldn't displace myself from what he would call "my destine", that in his words, would be a free life at sea, as much as did my mother, who also loved our practices._

 _I'd like to… remember her face. My father always told me her stories passionately. It is impossible to not love a woman as fiery as my mother. However, he never got into much details. My mother's identity has become a mystery to me, though I still love her the same way. Maybe not as much as my father did._

 _Henry reminds me of my father. There's a serenity in his eyes that would calm down even you, Jack. His hair is darker than Ed's. Even so… Edwin reminds me of you. Even with the brighter hair._

 _I decided to stark writing these notes because I feel lonely, even though the boys have come to fill a void of my existence. I miss you, Jack. I hope you're well. I hope you can meet them, I hope you... find me._

 _Lizzie. March 2, 1735._

The seizure made the pages leaf through quickly. He jumped some of them and his eyes stopped on a note that caught his eye.

 _Henry said his first word today, "mama"._

 _Edwin still babbles some syllables, but nothing that completes a whole word. I understand what he asks, when he points his fingers, gesturing. But there is an obvious difference between Ed and Henry. Henry still crawls, while Edwin already runs through the aisles. In three weeks, they will be one-year old._

 _Our_ economies _yield to this day. I'm able to afford this house, clothes and food for the boys. I'm selling breads and pies to raise more funds. I made a garden, Jack. You'd be laughing at me now, would not you? Elizabeth Swann became a home-staying mother. Who would say?_

 _Deep down I'm still the same. I want to believe it's just a phase. That things will return to normal one day, even if normal is extraordinarily abnormal._

 _I still miss you, Jack. And always will._

 _I cannot believe you're dead. The murmurs are many around here. But no. By the way, if you're alive, please..._

 _Come back._

 _And if you do not come, when we meet again, I'll give you the biggest punch you've ever taken._

 _Lizzie. January 11, 1736._

 _Edwin finished reading his first book today! I'm very proud. He learned so fast, Jack! Henry is still learning, though. His process is a bit slower, but soon he will reach his brother. Henry is so skilled with handiwork. Edwin is apt to words and to sword. You'd be as proud as I am._

 _Where are you, Jack?_ Where are you?

 _I should not have left you behind. What if you died? I will not forgive myself. Never. Should have stayed by your side and fought with you. We could do it, Jack, together. We always did._

 _I love you so much._

 _And I'm so sorry…_

 _Lizzie. October 23, 1740._

 _I'm sure if you saw the gleam in Ed's eyes, when I talk about you, you would print that mocking smile on you with your fully inflated ego. Henry does not get so easily impressed, though, but he loves to hear our stories. Sometimes I thank you for not being here to tell them the sordid details, as I believe you would. I hide some of them, and I know how angry you would be about that._

 _But maybe it's not really my right, is it?_

 _Anyway, if you want your children to know everything about you..._

 _It would be better to appear at once._

 _Lizzie. September 07, 1741._

 _Jack…_

 _I'm so sorry._

 _I'm so sorry for not telling the truth._

 _It is so stupid to express myself in this diary, knowing that you will never read it. And yet I believe that I must keep my confession to you, to the diary, to whoever is the reader of these pages._

 _I lied. I lied to our children. I told them his father was Will. It seemed easier to explain William's absence than your own. I was afraid they'd get mad at you. I was afraid they would not forgive me for abandoning you. I was afraid to show them how cruel, cold, and painful life can be. That the battles are not as magnificent as they are portrayed in the books._

 _And wrapped in my own fear I did not realize the harm I did to Ed and Henry._

 _Ed found out. He's not talking to me, Jack. The pain I felt when I saw him crying, when I heard him cry out that he hated me... I could not describe. He loves you, Jack. He loves what he knows about you. Love what was projected on you. Each part. Each detail._

 _Henry... did not believe him. He is so used to hear that William is his father that the idea seemed just absurd. They both fought. Edwin is not talking to Henry either. And Henry will definitely not talk to Edwin anytime soon..._

 _I do not know what to do, Jack._

 _Why did I lie to them?_

 _I lied to two boys about their origin, about their father, and I did not imagine the consequences._

 _Will I ever be forgiven?_

 _Jack..._

 _I need you so much now..._

 _Lizzie. June 23, 1742._

"Enough", Jack said, closing the diary. His mind was too dazed now, things spiraling because of the headache that shot through his forehead.

Edwin waited for Sparrow to breathe and take his breath again. The man looked completely lost in front of him.

"Do you believe me now?" He asked, leaning his back against the chair. "That was the last page on which my mother set her thoughts. In that night I stole the diary and ran. I suppose there is another to take its place".

"You _abandoned_ you mother because of _me_?" Jack didn't know how to feel, exactly.

" _No_ ", he sighed. " _I ran away_. I was a child who was feeling betrayed. For many years I imagined the adventures you and my mother had experienced and imagined myself in them. So much more interesting than William. A cursed man sailing across the seven seas looking after the dead", he smiled sadly. "Today I can see the mistake of leaving my mother and Henry behind. Elizabeth continued to lie to my brother and herself for eleven fucking years. Maybe if I had stayed, they would have agreed to join me in this hunt for you", he rose from his chair, taking slow steps to Jack, who stood gaping behind his desk. "But I ran away mostly because I needed to bring you back. I was nine years old and imagined I would be able to drag you to that damn island and make you apologize to me, my brother, and my mother. _You abandoned her_ ".

"I…"

"You've left her behind. For twenty years. So I can't see the real difference between you and William Turner", he finally finished, harsh.

Jack set the diary on the desk and breathed in grimly.

"I did not abandon her. And I looked for her for many years. Have you read this diary? _Are you sure?_ Your mother explains much of what happened before you were born, boy", Jack put his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes with his index fingers.

"I know... I know you left her behind so she had a chance to get away. But why didn't your run away with her?"

"Elizabeth needed time", he whispered. "She needed time, Edwin. And she had to be safe. While we were together we were a bigger target. And I would not forgive myself if your mother suffered again because of me". He looked seriously at Edwin, his eyes watering. _Sparrow... are you crying_? "I was arrested and tortured for years. They wanted me to tell them where Elizabeth was. How could I do that? _How_?" He paused. "When I was finally taken to the gallows, Mr. Gibbs and a few other mates appeared and saved me. Summarizing the story a lot". He snorted uneasily. "I... I was torn between looking for Elizabeth and letting her live. If I ever found her, we would soon be cornered again, and if I lost her again, it would be my end". The last sentence came out in a murmur. "After a while I... I thought... maybe... Maybe Lizzie was dead. Maybe they had taken her, after all. And that corroded me internally for years and years. When I met your brother... when I met Henry... And I realized that Elizabeth was alive and that... there was still a chance... I had to get the Pearl back. How else would I get to her? Then William was suddenly free from the curse. And your mother in his arms. And nothing else made sense".

"Henry is your son".

"I know that now, you see".

"Did you see my mother?"

"In the distance. I did not dare to approach. She... and William. They were together". He stood up, looking for a bottle of rum. "Twenty years is a long time, boy".

"Do you love her?", the words came out like a razor from Edwin's throat. He was afraid to ask. And afraid of what he could hear.

Jack seemed to digest the question little by little, spilling a half-bottle of rum as he sat down behind his desk again. He watched, sullen, the flames crackling in the candle in front of his eyes. He felt the warmth of the fire warm his face, his fingers playing with the flames.

"Elizabeth was the first and only woman I truly loved", he removed his fingers from the flames and looked at Edwin again. His black irises watched the boy resignedly. "And I still do. Like I said, twenty years is a long time. However, this time only served to reinforce something of which I already had science".

"In the end, you are both cowards". Edwin took the bottle from Jack, then felt the liquid burn his throat. He cleared his throat. "Two cowards who admit nothing to each other. And destiny reserved for us this fateful moment". He took a deep breath, then took the rest of the rum left in the bottle. "I need your help, Sparrow. You said you know where my mother is. I need you to take me to her. I'm sure you will not deny this favor to your eldest son". He smiled.

"Your mother was wrong," Jack said, smiling. "You do not look like me as much as you look like her. Although your taste for rum equals mine", he made a proud expression, placing his feet on the table. "Why do you want to go to your mother?"

"I think the simple fact of wanting to see her is enough".

"And why do you need me?"

"Because I want to take you with me".

Jack sighed uneasily.

"I do not think that's a good idea".

"And why not?"

"I do not think your mother wants to—"

"See you?" Edwin snorted. "Actually, I don't care much about it. I want to prove a point, Sparrow. That I would bring you back. And _I'll bring you back_. Savvy?"

 _Savvy_. Jack laughed softly when he realized that even the speech tricks had been inherited by the boy. _How much can a boy look so much like his parents?_ Above all, Sparrow was fascinated by Edwin. _Our son, Lizzie._

And there was Henry. Suddenly he felt lost, betrayed, tired. Henry was his son too, and the memories of what they went on together almost a year ago surfaced. Jack felt dizzy, closing his eyes and regaining a modicum of sobriety that was still within him.

"I'm not asking you to stay", Edwin continued. "Much less will I stay. However, I believe that taking this action is something necessary. If... if my mother is still in the Canary Islands... it means only one thing", the boy seemed to reflect, suddenly looking guilty. "It means she's waiting for me. And I need to set her free. _We need to_ ".

Jack seemed to ponder Edwin's words. He watched as the boy pulled a package of tobacco and silk from his pocket. He rolled up the cigarette calmly, with unquestionable dexterity. Jack could not understand why everything the boy did in front of him seemed so extraordinary. Perhaps the fact that he was the result of his love for Elizabeth. He never imagined himself in a situation like this, ever. His thoughts made him more and more confused, the sensations so new and so unknown coming up in his stomach. He came back to the moment when the boy offered him a cigarette and started making one for himself.

"We never stayed for a long time. Mum did not think it was smart", Edwin said, while licking the silk. "We were fugitives, and we did not even know it, actually. She just told us that it was not safe to stay in one place for long. Henry hated that we constantly move, while I—"

"Loved it?", _He looks like us, Lizzie._ He expressed fascination again.

"Yes", Edwin smiled. "I've always loved the sea. The freedom it gives us. Mum loved it, too. To think that she abstained from this, from her freedom, even if it was so little, to... wait for me... Wait for me to come back one day... ", he lit his cigarette in the candle flame and swallowed. " _Fuck_ ", he paused. "I do not... I..."

"Do not feel guilty. Mothers do everything for their children. I believe she had her own strategies to find you".

" _Henry_ ", he said, blankly. "No. She would not do anything that would put him in danger. You see? So she stayed on the island. The safest and most certain way to protect Henry and... me. And then he abandoned her too, for _William Turner_. I was nine when I ran away, a dumb and stupid child I was… But Henry? No. He was an adult. An adult as fool as a child".

"He's a fine lad", Jack said.

"I don't hate him", he paused. "I just… I don't _get_ him. Will is _so boring_ ".

Jack burst out in laugh. _Here it is. That's why you said the boy looked like me on those notes, isn't it? He hates William Turner as much as I do myself._

"He's with her now. Are you sure you're prepared to deal with _this_ fact?"

"I intend to free my mother. William Turner is one of her bonds from the beginning. She says so herself in her diary. Why... why surrender to those moorings one more time?" Edwin looked indignant. "Is her hope completely gone?" He looked at Jack, resolute. "We need to save her".

"I believe your mother can save herself. If she chose this path, I cannot tell her otherwise. After all, Elizabeth Swann is a free soul to do as she wishes".

" _You've set me free, Jack_ ". Edwin quoted one of his mother's notes. "It's written in the diary. I may not fully understand the issues lying dormant in my mother's heart, but my interpretation of the text is very good, sir", he laughed. "Are you afraid of being rejected?"

"Me?" Jack's voice came out in flaws. Edwin rolled his eyes. "Lad..."

"Just take me to her", Edwin's eyes sparkled and pleaded for Jack.

 _That's more than I can handle, boy._

"It's all right. I'll take you".

Edwin smiled, convinced. He swallowed his cigarette again thoughtfully. He said at last, "Would you have more rum?"

 _Actually... you were damn right, Lizzie._

* * *

 **So! This is our brand new chapter! Please, if you have any question or critic (good or bad), leave a review!**

 **P.S: Edwin's theme is "Little Lion Man", by Mumford and Sons. I just thought you'd like to know :D**

 **Ah: here's the link for the illustration I made about Edwin**

anerainey .deviantart art/Edwin-Swann-Sparrow-688243435 (just clean the spaces)

 **XOXO**


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